BenQ EX381U

BenQ EX381U Review & Specifications

EX381U by BenQ is a 38.00″ IPS monitor with a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels (1.778:1, 16:9 aspect ratio) and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. It supports a 8-bit color depth, displays up to 16777216 colors, and offers the following color space coverage: 98.00% DCI-P3 . The panel delivers 350 nits of brightness, and can reach up to 600 nits peak, has a static contrast ratio of 1000:1, a response time of 1.00 ms. The panel is manufactured by AU Optronics. It has a pixel density of 116 PPI, with viewing angles of ° horizontal and ° vertical. The screen covers 91.04% of the front surface. It uses a W-LED backlight and has a Anti-glare/Matte screen coating. HDR capabilities include support for HDR10, DisplayHDR 600. Typical power consumption is 50.00 W.

General Work Usage

The BenQ EX381U earns a solid 82.5% work usage rating, indicating reliable performance in most productivity scenarios such as office tasks, spreadsheets, and research work. It utilizes an IPS panel—a top-tier choice for productivity. IPS and similar panels deliver exceptional color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and consistent brightness across the screen. Their resistance to burn-in makes them especially well-suited for prolonged use involving static content like spreadsheets, toolbars, and text editors. The monitor’s very high resolution of 3840×2160 ensures excellent workspace flexibility and visual clarity for office work and complex layouts. The pixel density of 116 ppi provides adequately crisp text without requiring scaling, though pixel edges may become noticeable when sitting close or working with fine content. The brightness level of 350 nits, with localized peaks up to 600 nits, is generally sufficient for standard indoor lighting, but may struggle slightly in bright daylight environments.

The BenQ EX381U has color space coverage of: 98.00% DCI-P3 , which gives this monitor exceptional color gamut coverage, making it a top-tier choice for professionals working in color-sensitive applications such as photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom), video grading, or design production. Colors appear rich, consistent, and accurate across supported spaces. Despite the excellent color coverage, the standard 8-bit panel limits color depth and smoothness in gradient transitions, making it less ideal for critical design or publishing workflows.

The work performance-per-price score of 15.0% indicates that this monitor does not offer strong value for professional productivity use. With a respectable 82.5% work suitability score, it may still be a reasonable option for users seeking reliability over savings.

Gaming and Media Usage

The BenQ EX381U achieves an outstanding 84.8% entertainment score, making it an excellent choice for immersive gaming, high-quality video playback, and fast-paced visual experiences. It utilizes an IPS panel, which is widely appreciated for accurate color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and consistent brightness. These panels are a balanced and reliable choice for gamers who enjoy vivid visuals and moderate HDR. High-end IPS models often support local dimming zones and high peak brightness levels, enhancing the experience in HDR games and bright rooms. While response times are slightly slower than OLED or TN, recent advancements have greatly reduced motion blur and input lag. The monitor’s very high resolution of 3840×2160 offers excellent visual clarity, enhancing textures, fine details, and overall realism in both games and media. A capable GPU is recommended for optimal performance at this level. The monitor offers a high refresh rate of 144 Hz, providing fluid gameplay and improved responsiveness over standard 60 Hz displays, especially with a fast 1.00 msresponse time, making it suitable even for fast-paced gaming genres.

The monitor provides very good ergonomic support, enabling users to adjust it for improved comfort during extended gaming, viewing, or daily activities, and provides very good connectivity, meeting the needs of most users in typical home or multi-purpose environments.

Specific ergonomic adjustments and connectivity details can be found in the specifications section below.

Performance per Price

The gaming performance-per-price score of 10.8% indicates that this monitor does not offer strong value for gaming-focused users. Its respectable gaming suitability rating of 84.8% may still justify the price for certain use cases, though better-valued options exist.

With a performance-per-price score of just 15.5%, this monitor does not offer strong value in its category. However, its high-end overall quality of 85.3 pts may still justify the purchase for users prioritizing build excellence, display fidelity, or brand preference over cost.